You quite sure? This is The Human League,
isn’t it? And what’s all about this about how they’ve stopped making
“miserable” records and want to “grin at cameras and jig about”? And
what’s with this painting houses business? Another great debate is in
progress. Ian Birch keeps the peace.

"Somehow we've managed to waste a year and we're in a rush to get something
done", sighs Philip (he doesn't like Phil) Oakey.
"No, we haven't," chorus Suzanne Sulley and Joanne Catherall, both obviously
rattled at the suggestion. The three of them have motored down to London for
the day while the rest of the band are up in Scotland doing a quick
promotional tour of clubs, shops and radio stations.
"We went to America, came back in September and started working then,"
continues Suzanne.
"But it didn't get us anywhere," barks back Philip. "We were supposed to be
going into the studio next week, having had all the time from 'Dare' - apart
from 'Mirror Man' last November - to write songs in. But we haven't got the
songs finished and that's really ridiculous."

The Human League are back and they're as prickly as ever. They've always
loved the snap and crackle of an argument, spending hours - nay, days,
weeks, months - discussing every last detail of the groups strategy.
It's hardly surprising that their new single, the excellent (Keep Feeling)
Fascination was started long before Mirror Man, went through at least ten
different mixes, took eight months to finish, and caused some ferocious
battles with, as Philip says, "people actually leaving the room in tears".
Like their early singles, 'Fascination' has a colour coding. This time it's
red (which means a disco record) but now it's accompanied by a new attitude.
Out go those grim-faced photos and stiffly self conscious videos, as Philip
explains
"Jo callis is a bit of a 'Glitter' fan, so I said, 'Great Jo, next record
I'm going to get some white trousers with diamentes down the sides for Top
Of The Pops and we'll have a right laugh."
"But instead we just did miserable single after miserable single. If you do
'Mirror Man' dressed like that you'd look stupid. You'd be pulling the rug
out from under the record.
'Now we've finally got a happy record. We can grin at the camera and jig
about. On the video Adrian laughs! I can even dance - well I make one dance
step once!"

Nevertheless, the band are just as careful as ever about what TV programmes
they appear on. As usual, Philip has very stron opinions.

“There’s fans and fans. I always remember what Bryan Ferry said about Roxy
Music. There’s a lot of people who invade stage doors but Roxy fans aren’t
like that. They go to the concerts, watch it and, afterwards, go home.
That’s it.

“I always hoped
Human League fans were like that and I think they are. We haven’t got many
teen fans particularly because we absolutely refuse to go live on children’s
TV. Those programmes are so patronizing.”

The new video was shot by Steve Baron (responsible for the last two Michael
Jackson epics) in an area of London’s Docklands that was due for
demolition. That’s why the film crew were allowed to paint a whole house
and part of the road outside bright crimson.

“The aim of the video,” says Philip, “is to show that we’re a group who play
music together. As my brother says, there’s too much of a tradition now that
videos are aimed to take your mind off the horrible music behind them.

“This should also help us in America where they believe we are a
manufactured item mainly because we’ve never been live on TV there.”

Talking about the USA, the band have been criticized for not following their
massive success there with “Dare” and “Don’t You Want Me”. “Love Action”
died a death late last year and that was followed by silence. Philip is
forthright.

“That was our choice. We didn’t fail to follow-up because we didn’t
follow-up. We decided to take a rest. People had seen enough of The Human
League.”

Indeed, their American company, A & M, refused to release “Mirror Man”
because they reckoned it wasn’t worth promoting a single if there wasn’t an
album hot on its heels.

However, in a couple of weeks time, A & M are putting out a special ‘mini
LP’

which consists of “Fascination”, “Fascination Dub”, Mirror
Man”, “Hard Times”, “You Remind Me Of Gold” and an unreleased curio called
“I
Love You Too Much”, which Adrian wrote and was originally slotted as a
British 45. “It’s like The Glitter Band”, smiles Philip.

The reason it never saw the light of day here is that, once again, the
outfit couldn’t agree on the final product at the time. The band gave the
thumbs up but producer Martin Rushent wasn’t happy.

And that brings up another major change in the League camp. Martin Rushent
has “resigned” and been replaced by Chris Thomas, who has worked with such
veterans as the Sex Pistols, Roxy Music and the Pretendes.

The problem was that the band got to know Martin too well and they would
spend more time enjoying themselves than grafting in the studio.

Before settling on Thomas, they had chats with such celebrated names as
Swain and Jolley (who look after Imagination and Spandau), Alex Sadkin
(Grace Jones), Andy Hill (Bucks Fizz) and Trevor Horn (ABC).

“There’s an evil thing that could be said here,” slips in Philip. “So far
Trevor Horn has created a brilliant production on records that haven’t had
very strong songs behind them and I thought it could be interesting to have
that production on a song of the caliber that Jo can write.”

That’s not so much brazen arrogance on Philip’s part as a fervent belief in
Jo’s songswriting craft and in The Human League’s music. He stoutly believes
that the group have been enormously influential.

“Look through magazines,” he offers, “and so many people want to be The
Human League. It’s really odd. Some of them so much it’s painful. Like The
Thompson Twins. It stares out every time they go on TV – from their electro
disco to the funny haircuts, funny clothes, a bit of make-up, admitting that
they’re pop rather than pretending to be something else and being big in
America. There’s not many bands who wants to be line Duran Duran. Only
Kajagoogoo.”

There’s plenty more where that came from. He mentions how many bands now
have “girls” and how their electronic format has revolutionised the way of
making records today. He hums the intro of Yazoo’s “Don’t Go” and darkly
suggests that this refrain began life as a Martin Rushent horn line.

What does he think of “Dare” in 1983?

“It sounds empty, too synthesized. It’s become a cliché although it wasn’t
at the time.”

There’s no doubt that The Human League have learnt from their experience.
The trio all agree that Adrian, for example, is a “much nicer person” now.
Philip recalls his days back in the early ‘80s and how pompous he was.

“We thought,” he muses, “pop music was rubbish but that those fools out
there would buy it to finance our arty side. And at that stage we weren’t
successful which helps that kind of attitude. Adrian and me were very
scared. You can hide fear behind being pompous. There’s still groups doing
it – mentioning no names.”

Joanne agrees. “I think Suzanne and me have changed their attitude on that.
They were all arrogant – not in a nasty way – but they just felt that little
bit better than everyone else in pop groups.”

“We were really fed up singing backing vocals that were a pitch higher
Philip and sounding little girlish in the background. We didn’t say
we wanted to sing lead lines but I think everyone knew we felt like that.”

“The verse line on ‘Fascination’, “returns Philip, “ are totally democratic.
The first line I Sing, the second Jo sings, then the girls have a line
each.”